Roxy drove over to her practice but never made it to the parking lot, realizing that a bunch of news vans were stationed outside obviously waiting for her.

She parked a little further down the road and called her practice.

"How bad is it?" she asked her assistant.

"So bad, I'm surprised you got the call through. The phone has been ringing off the hook and reporters have been showing up asking for a comment."

Roxy rubbed her forehead. "Yeah, and they're scouting out the parking lot."

"How are you holding up?"

It felt odd that the first person who would ask her that was technically a stranger whereas, it should have been someone from her own family. Then again, she wasn't all that surprised. When things got tricky in the Dutton family, everyone fended for themselves. Why she imagined things would be different was beyond her.

"Barely."

"You know if you need a place to lay low for a while, Roger and I have that guest room."

Roxy looked around. If she went to a hotel, she'd have to check in and the media would know in no time she was there. She had no home left to go to in Cheyenne, never thinking that she would need a backup plan. As much as the idea of staying with her and Roger sounded like the ideal solution, she knew that anyone who was in Roxy's life would be put under a microscope and she didn't want to put them through that.

"I appreciate it, but I'm already settled somewhere quiet and discreet."

She sighed, it was a lie but at the stage she was at, who cared.

"Look, close the practice, and go home. I'll make sure you get paid."

"For how long?"

"I have no idea when this is going to blow over, so for the time being, let's say it's for an undetermined period."

"Roxy, I can't accept the money."

"Of course, you can, and you will. You shouldn't have to pay for what's happening."

"Are you going to be alright?"

"Yeah, don't worry about me. This is Montana, there will soon be more interesting news than my pregnancy and miscarriage."

"Take care of yourself and I do hope that whoever got this information will rot in hell. Preying on someone's difficult times, is not something that sits well with me."

Roxy hung up and her last words resonated. Who got the info? She asked herself and it was a valid one. Who could have gotten past the doctor/patient confidentiality? Her father was appreciated by many and had been elected fair and square. This whole thing could have surfaced prior to the election, but it hadn't. Who had more to win from this going public? A few names popped into her head, but some of them were quickly dismissed like Jamie, who wouldn't even dare after what his father had done, Rainwater had gotten close to the Duttons and she didn't see him turning the tables, Jenkins had gotten killed and so had the Beck brothers.

Suddenly it dawned on her that there was someone who could benefit from this. She started the car and drove back in the direction of the lodge.

She pulled her car up and parked it in front of the lodge. She got out of the car under his eager eye as he sat on the front steps. She walked over and stood in front of him as they looked at each other.

He stood and brushed off his pants. "Seems like you're the one getting all the bad publicity these days."

"A change for you, I'm sure. I thought you would have headed back to California by now," she said.

"If you're here it's a good thing I'm not. Unless you were hoping I was and were planning on picking the locks and settling in."

"Coffee?" he asked as he opened the door. "You look like you could use one."

"This morning's coffee didn't help; I'm going to need something stronger."

"Not a problem. Come on," he said as he walked inside the house, waited for her to enter and then closed the door behind them.

He walked over to the bar. "What's your poison?"

She shrugged; she wasn't much of a drinker, and it wasn't as if she had a favorite kind of booze she found comfort in. "Whatever you'll have."

"That, could be dangerous."

"I'll take the risk."

He nodded and served them two glasses neat. He handed her the glass and pointed to the sofa. After she settled down, he sat down next to her at the opposite end, making sure there was a reasonable distance between them.

She took a gulp and realized he had served her a glass of mineral water. She eyed him. "Seriously?"

He laughed. "You do recall that you get jaded rather quickly. Last thing I want, and need, is for you to pass out on my couch and think I took advantage of you."

"For heaven's sake Roarke, serve me a real drink."

He stood, grabbed her glass, and filled up a new one with whiskey. He eyed her amused as he sat back down, and she once again took a big gulp. She made a grimace as it went down her throat, burning it along the way.

"It can't be that bad," he said.

"Oh, you have no idea how bad it is."

"Let me guess, Anderson broke off the engagement and your father has exiled you from the ranch?"

"Exactly and that is the tip of the iceberg."

"So, not that bad."

"How do you not see what is happening bad?"

"Because it's your life, not theirs."

He paused for a moment not sure he wanted to say what was really on his mind, but he was itching too.

"For what it's worth, Anderson is an idiot. It's not like he hasn't had a past either, you weren't dating at the time, so you weren't cheating on him and potentially had a love child with someone else. As for your father, he is selfish, plain and simple. Neither one of them deserves for you to feel bad about what happened. Calling off the engagement and getting away from your family and that ranch, might actually be a good thing."

She leaned her head back against one of the sofa cushions.

"As Governor, the best way for him to have handled this, saving your integrity and his career, would have been to back you up and your decision to leave and that it was a personal matter. If his political career goes under, he's partly responsible."

She put her head back in a normal position and eyed him. How was it that one of the people she hated was finding the right words.

"What about Wheeler? How is he taking things?"

"I guess better than what I expected and anyone else," she said shrugging.

"Good man," replied Roarke.

Roxy narrowed her eyes. "You hate him."

"Just because I hate him doesn't mean I can't respect how he's handling the situation."

She sighed. "I never imagined that this would come out one day and have so many repercussions."

"We never do. But then again if we always knew everything beforehand, we'd be saints and perfect and that is impossible."

He took a sip of his drink. "The way I see it, you found yourself in a situation that needed you to take extraordinary measures, for yourself and your life. Some may find that selfish, I'd say you faced the music and the responsibilities. Even if you didn't get the desired outcome, I'm sure it has molded you into who you are today and you know I like that person."

She sneered. "Right about now, you're the only person who likes me."

"No true, I'm sure news reporters love you right about now."

"Yeah, only because they want something from me."

"What makes you think I don't want something from you?" he said a grin on his face.

"Right about now, even if were the case, you look like the lesser evil."

She finished her glass and set it down on the coffee table.

"You're going to think I'm crazy, but I have the feeling that Market Equities is behind this."

He stood, took her glass, and without asking her filled it back up before handing it back to her.

"I don't think you're crazy," he said sitting back down. "Actually, I was thinking the same thing."

"Really?"

"Look, going after your father directly now that he is Governor is risky, but discrediting him through his family is pretty safe."

"And in saying that you're not surprised that it could be them."

"Absolutely not. This is the kind of thing that I used to do for them. At least partly. Everyone has skeletons in their closets, you just need to find the right one to open."

"You are despicable."

"I used to be. I'm out of a job, remember?"

"Basically, you were like that because of the job and it's not your true self?"

"In this hard life, we sometimes need to do things or become someone we aren't, almost like an armor protecting our souls. I wasn't always like this and if I'm to be honest, I've felt better since they fired me."

She shifted in the sofa and looked at him.

"I need help."

"You need a new family and friends."

"I'm being serious, Roarke."

"What could I possibly do to help you?"

"I need to be able to prove that Market Equities is behind this. I'm sure you still have some contacts that could confirm that."

"You do that and you're going to find yourself trying to slay a dragon."

"Right about now, I don't really care much about that. I've just almost, if not lost everything in 12 hours."

He thought for a few seconds. "Why would I do that?"

She managed to smile. "Because you like me."

"You're playing on my feelings for you?"

"I'm done playing nice and being the naïve woman filled with sparkles and glitter. I will do whatever it takes to get what I want."

He grinned. "I'm liking even more this bolder version of you, Doc."

"Will you help me?"

"If I can get the information, then what?"

"I'm going to get even. You just said it yourself; everyone has skeletons, and something tells me that Market Equities has scarier skeletons than I do."

"Anything else you're going to need me to do? Just so I know what to expect."

"I need a place to lay low, somewhere no one would come looking for me."

"Then you've come to the right place," he said as he leaned back in his seat and put his glass out. "No, one will come looking for you here."

She nodded, put her own glass out and clinked it against his.

Yeah, life was rainbows and unicorns, until it turned into a warpath to revenge!